The Orlando Touchdown Club honored Winter Park QB Sam Richardson and Edgewater LB Karl Joseph as its 2010 Central Florida Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. Lee Corso was the featured guest. (CHRIS HAYS/ORLANDO SENTINEL)

By Chris Hays | Orlando Sentinel

Winter Park QB Sam Richardson and Edgewater LB Karl Joseph were honored Monday night at the Orlando Touchdown Club's annual meeting at the Citrus Bowl as the Central Florida Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.

Richardson led Winter Park to an 11-1 record this past season, with the Wildcats' only loss coming it their final game when they were eliminated from the state playoffs by Sanford Seminole. As a starter at Winter Park, Richardson was 27-5 over 2½ seasons. He will attend Iowa State on a football scholarship. Other players considered for the honor were Dr. Phillips RB Dee Hart and Hagerty QB Jeff Driskel.

"It's a great honor to be recognized as one of the better players in Central Florida," said Richardson, who, when counting 7-on-7 tournaments, won 52 straight games this year before falling in the region semifinals of the 6A state playoffs two weeks ago to Sanford Seminole 48-31. "It just topped off a good year. It ended pretty rough for us, not the way I wanted to go out, but that's how it is for most of the teams. But it as a fun year and just having this just tops it all off."

In 10 regular-season games, Richardson passed for 2,225 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just two interceptions, completing 63 percent of his passes (124-of-195). He also rushed for 511 yards and four touchdowns (Stats do not include the two playoff games). Winter Park ended up 11-1.

"It's been a fun two-and-a-half years at Winter Park," he said. "The system I got put into, it really worked for me, and the guys I had around me made it easy. I'm going to miss it more than anything. It was a fun high school career."

The defensive award went to Joseph, a junior who flies to the ball. He won the honor over players like Lake Mary's Taylor Richards, Olympia S Corian Hamilton, Dr. Phillips SS Ha'sean Clinton-Dix and Seminole LB Serderius Bryant. Joseph flies to the ball for the Eagles and is always around the pile. He had 141 tackles this past season, 107 solo, seven sacks and 25 tackles for loss.

"It feels great receiving this award. I'm very honored. It was a hard season," Joseph said. Edgewater had it's share of adversity. Top defensive player and senior leader Deion Greene blew out his knee in the second game, while other injuries took a toll, as well. "I'd give away this trophy to still be playing in the playoffs. But I'm looking forward to next year."

Edgewater lost in the playoffs, losing to Lakeland Kathleen in the first round in Class 4A. They will also have a new coach next season. The Eagles will be missing the head coach they've grown more than accustomed to over the years. Bill Gierke resigned after the season as part of the retirement package geared to tenured Orange County teachers/coaches.

"He's a great coach. I've had him since my freshman year and we're definitely going to miss him," Joseph said. "Nothing we can do about it so we just gotta look forward. I'm really going to miss him though."

Gierke is now at Orangewood Christian School and Zac Yarborough has been given the task of continuing the Edgewater football tradition.

And looking forward the Eagles will have a talented young bunch returning. QB J.B. Woodman, who had an excellent sophomore season, will be back, along with WR Alton Howard, DE Matt Mines, OL David Martinez, RB Jonathan Altman, DL David Green and DB Troy Donnell just to name a few

"We have a lot of young kids coming back," Joseph said. "And we're going to be leaders next year. We can only get better. Looking forward to it."

Though he is just a junior, Jospeh already has a scholarship offer from Florida, and will have many, many more by this time next year.

"Coach Bill Gierke called me out of class and I didn't know what it was til he told me that they offered me," Joseph said. "I'm not in a rush though. I'm just going to take my time, see who else offers me."